Elektra
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: January 14, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
34
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews
Positive:
1
Mixed:
18
Negative:
16
Watch Now
Stream On
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Electric as Elektra, Jennifer Garner does a high-powered, blade-thrusting star turn as Marvel Comics' ninja-inspired superheroine, bringing such unbridled energy and sexuality to her performance, one barely notices the movie itself. Read full review
60
SlateDavid Edelstein
Elektra isn't half-bad--only maybe two-fifths. Read full review
50
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
One of the least effective comic book-to-movie stories to have come along in the past few years. Without a viable screenplay, there's nowhere for the character to go, and no way to avoid making her look silly. Read full review
50
VarietyBrian Lowry
Elektra proves no more than fitfully satisfying, a character-driven superhero yarn whose flurry of last-minute rewriting shows in a disjointed plot. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Watching this is like sitting by a pinsetter at a bowling alley. That's too bad, because the picture had potential. Read full review
50
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
"Kill Bill" without irony, and without Quentin Tarantino's flair for cool dialogue and chop-socky action (and without Uma Thurman, for that matter), Elektra is a pretty-looking, pretty dull adaptation of the Marvel Comic about a dishy, deadly assassin. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
Her (Garner) grace and mystical abilities make for a lonely burden, and we are supposed to feel her pain. Instead, we feel our own for having to sit through this silly movie. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
This doesn't exactly set the world on fire, but I was charmed by its old-fashioned storytelling, which is refreshingly free of archness, self-consciousness, or "Kill Bill"-style wisecracks. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
An adequate but none-too-thrilling star vehicle for Jennifer Garner in flame-colored bustier and low-riding pants. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Leah McLaren
For the better part of this movie, Elektra appears to be a sensible, stylish young superhero. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
The role needs a steely, inhuman reserve, and Garner's innate likeability works against her. Read full review
50
Village VoiceBenjamin Strong
The pedestrian Elektra offers no surprises, and whether or not you'll appreciate its modest charms depends entirely on whether you too have been anticipating Garner's new outfit. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
The fights are mostly cool, save the final one with too many quick cuts, and the morphing graffiti and tattoos are nifty. If only the rest of it weren't so stupid. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
A poorly written collection of comic-book movie cliches that offers nothing new to the genre, generates very little in the way of action thrills and plays like a self-important, humorless rip-off of "Kill Bill." Read full review
40
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
No question, the film's best special effect is Ms. Garner, especially when she's in costume. Read full review
40
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
No fun at all. Read full review
40
SalonCharles Taylor
What's missing -- apart, of course, from a plot -- is any character development. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Pinup appeal alone does not a compelling movie make. Read full review
40
EmpireHelen O'Hara
Enormous plot holes and a script that’s fatally light on character mean there’s few selling points beyond Jennifer Garner's corset... Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Plays like a collision between leftover bits and pieces of Marvel superhero stories. It can't decide what tone to strike. Read full review
33
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
Just as all regular models can't be supermodels, so all action chicks can't be superheroines. Elektra Natchios turns out to be walled off rather than mysteriously alluring; blank rather than deep. Read full review
33
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
We end up with a piece of B-grade junk in which Elektra exchanges "banter" with the unexceptional Prout between fight scenes so badly shot that even Garner looks like a stunt double. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyKim Morgan
When a movie makes you wish you were watching Halle Berry in "Catwoman," something is most definitely wrong. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
What it suffers from most is the sense of offhand storytelling that lies halfway between creative laziness and cost-cutting sloppiness. Read full review
30
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Along comes Elektra to effectively lower the bar for Marvel Comics page-to-screen transitions. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Long on cutlery and décor (including, of course, the marvelously decorative Ms. Garner, of the TV series "Alias") and woefully short on narrative.
25
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
Devotees of awful filmmaking can't go wrong with this one. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
Deadly dull. Read full review
25
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
As she sashays, mirthlessly, from one thankless confrontation to the next, it's unclear why anyone would find Garner any more deserving of stardom than certain mannequins. Read full review
25
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Another inert, soul-dead action drama that turns actors into zombies...It's garbage. Read full review
25
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
Part of the problem is that Garner, so irresistible on television and in last year's "13 Going on 30," just can't pull off the cold-hearted killer routine. Read full review
25
PremiereAaron Hillis
Lacks thrills, narrative, emotion, believability, character development--and frankly--watchability. Read full review
25
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Breathlessly boring. Read full review
20
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
Elektra isn't just poorly executed, it's emotionally false and makes absolutely no narrative sense. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Not stupid enough to qualify as good, dumb fun. Read full review
More From This Movie

34 Critic Reviews

4.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL